-Russell Wilson was barely in there, but he looked pretty good on that first drive, which was the only drive to result in a TD. He finally connected with Stephen Williams on a bomb, too.

-Wilson has had a problem with over-throws. He had it in college, he had it early last season, and he had it early this preseason. But against the Packers he started having some underthrow problems instead, and on his big pass to Williams, he under-threw there as well. Williams had to slow down noticeably and this allowed the safety back into the play. Had Wilson hit Williams in stride, I have little doubt it would have been a TD. Williams had a couple steps on the safety.

The nice thing about Williams is that with his 6'5" body and long arms, he's been catching underthrown passes for huge gains all preseason. As far as Wilson's distance accuracy, it is just proof that he's human after all. Nobody is majestic at everything, and every now and then we'll see this problem return, and as far as flaws go, it's pretty minor. I don't think it's a big deal and I suspect it could be just a rust / early season thing.

-In the first preseason game, the starting offensive line struggled while the backup line went nuclear in the run game. Ever since then, it's been a steady progression in the opposite direction, with the 2nd team line (who played nearly the entire game) having a really tough time tonight.

-The running backs weren't much better, at least in terms of running the football.

-Turbin was pretty meh as a runner, but he did have a killer block to set up a (QB keeper?) for big yardage in the first half. I prefer Michael quite a bit to Turbin, but I think the coaches prefer Turbin (for now) and it's easy to see why, he has a good overall skill set for a 3rd down back.

-Lots of drops in this game.

-Speaking of drops, Helfet had an interesting game. He had a couple of brutal mistakes (drops, etc); the kind that make you instantly think "CUT!" But he also had some brilliant plays: a couple of nice runs after the catch and a brilliant catch that was stolen by the officials and a well placed Raider. Helfet probably isn't making the roster, but there have been times this preseason he's raised eyebrows. It's a shame he's had all those drops. If he was drop free, he's probably our 3rd TE next week. I think he had some time at FB too, I'll have to look into that on the DVR review.

-Back to the Chargers game again. Holy crap our TE group looked awful back then, and the pre-preseason over-hyped Luke Willson was no exception. Since that time, Willson has taken small steps forward every week and, I'll be damned, he ended up the team leader in receptions by preseason's end. For a guy that had drop issues early on, his hands have looked very solid as of late and he's continuing his ability in college of being a pleasant surprise as a run blocker. Excuse me while I state the obvious: run blocking is kind of a big deal around these parts. So that's nothing to scoff at, especially for a joker TE with 4.51 speed. It's good to know that having him on the field won't telegraph intentions.

-Luke Willson gives the best interview on the team, and that's saying a lot. He's got a future in coaching or broadcasting, no doubt aboot it.

-Christine Michael has got some magic in him. He can take a seemingly nothing play and reappear 10 yards downfield only a moment later. He can make very quick adjustments to backfield penetration and turn surefire TFLs into small gains. He had a couple of those moments tonight, but even he couldn't survive the onslaught Raiders defenders staking claim to Seattle's backfield. Our OL was made up of turnstiles most of the night. With that said, Michael had a tough night. I think Turbin probably had the #2 job anyway despite Michael outplaying him as a runner, but tonight makes that decision a little easier. And given how good Turbin is as a 3rd down back, that's not such a bad thing. Hopefully the team has the sense to activate Michael and get him 50-100 carries by season's end.

-Oakland is a horrible team, but they were reputed to be pretty deep at DL before letting a couple of their big name DTs walk last offseason. So maybe this is just a good reserve group we faced tonight. Still, you hate to see that kind of dominance after our reserve lineman looked so promising a few weeks ago.

-Terrell Pryor finished with a passer rating of 9.9 and finished with fewer yards in the game (2 quarters) than Russell Wilson had in one pass. It was the best 9.9 passer rating performance I have ever seen, and will ever see most likely. Barring a huge regular season breakthrough by Quinton Patton, the 49ers WR corps are not far removed from being a disaster zone right now. Yet they don't even have the worst WR corps in the bay area.

-I really hope Fells makes our PS and gets some real reps next preseason. He's no youngin' at 27, but physically he is an Anthony McCoy clone, if McCoy were cloned even bigger. A 281 pound TE that can catch and run. Yes please.

-I think Bruce Irvin will be pretty fortunate to match his 8 sacks from last season in 12 games while playing 4-3 LB. He got a sack tonight though, and his speed looks better than ever as a rangy LB. For a guy that has no instinctive ability to shed a block at the LOS, he has great instincts at attacking runners and tracking them down. I don't know how much he'll see the field even when he gets back though, as Wright / Wagner have been nearly exclusive as our LBs in nickle defense, and Seattle is running nickle defense more than ever. But when he's been out there, he's been a quality regular. I'll take it.

-I think it won't be long before people start drawing comparisons between the Carpenter pick and the Irvin pick. Both were perceived reaches that had to switch positions after their first season, and appear to be etching out solid NFL careers in those new roles. I think Irvin's going to be more of a tackle machine type LB than a Von Miller type, but heck, just having a LB who can run a 4.50 at 255-260 pounds... that shit all by itself made Aaron Curry the most over hyped player in the 2009 draft, and Curry wasn't as good of a LB as Irvin already is. I am looking forward to the continuation of the Bruce Irvin experiment. If he can be a 5+ sacks a year guy while being a lights out tackle machine SAM LB, that makes him worthy of pro-bowl consideration.

-Why is Brock Huard trying to scare Allen Bradford into thinking he might not make the team after the game? Bradford is so making the team.

-Also, Bradford has huge arms. He is a tank, and he is fast.

-Further, apparently he led all Seahawks defenders in tackles this preseason. That's a feather in the cap. It doesn't hurt either that he plays in a body built for being an NFL LB. His physical talent, size, and power are pretty damn awesome. With "the best LB instincts on the team" (Brock's words, not mine - though I agree) thrown in for good measure. The best part? He probably won't play much this season because we are already so loaded at LB.

-I marvel at our defense. Even when down to our Z-string defensive linemen, we are still a pain to score on. Just 957 total yards of offense allowed and 36 total points in 4 preseason games. That's 239 yards of offense and 9 points allowed per game. Holy shit.

-Jaye Howard and Michael Brooks continue to make plays. I think Howard is a lock, but I am worried that Seattle makes the same mistake with Brooks that the previous regime made with Bennett, taking the gamble to see if he can clear waivers for the PS.

-Ware wasn't great tonight, but he might have had the best rushing performance of our RBs. Even still, the decision to cut him in favor of Coleman just got a little easier. Here's hoping he somehow clears waivers.

-This is weird, but when Bowie left the field in the first half I was actually hoping he'd be injured. Not that you'd ever wish injury on someone, but if Seattle can viably IR him, that is a coup. There's almost no way he clears waivers if cut, and if kept they'd probably have to stash him on the inactive portion of the 53 man all season. Roster spots are a premium right now. And as much as I like Bowie, he's not ready for real NFL games just yet. He still needs some time, maybe an offseason.

-Snoop Lion in a Lynch Jersey.

-Other than holding the ball too long at times, T-Jack had yet another good performance. How badly is Buffalo regretting the decision to cut him right now?

-Chris Harper made the (correct) decision to go 5 WRs a lot easier.

-When some unidentified Seahawks WR had a dramatic catch down the sideline area in the second half, my instant thought was "what the heck is Kearse doing out there with the 3rd string scrubs?" I knew it was him before I could see his jersey number. Nobody else on our team quite makes dramatic full extension catches the way that Kearse does. Funny enough, he had a ton of those UW, despite dropping all those 6 yard dink and dunks on 3rd and 5.

-Need to take a closer look, but Winston Guy looked pretty solid in this game.

-Jeron Johnson is a good football player, but fast he is not. Pryor schooled Johnson not once but twice on QB runs.

-Thurmond's interception looked way more difficult than it should have been. It counts all the same, and Thurmond added a nice punt return for good measure. It feels like Seattle has a logjam of good punt returners but seems unsettled at returning kickoffs.

-Jeremy Lane continues to be an awesome special teams player. He kind of seems like the Brendan Ryan of our team. Brendan Ryan hasn't had a bat in years, but has hung around a long time because of stellar fielding at short. Lane is like old man Trufant in coverage, but like Trufant is an awesome tackler and that tackling ability has translated to specials where he's quickly becoming our best non-specialist / non-role special teamer. His special teams alone makes him worth the spot, and that's really saying a lot when you have a roster as jam packed as Seattle's.

-Coleman is still a weak run blocker; he kinda just gets in people's way and usually slides off his targets. The fact that the coaches clearly like him so much is a testament to how much our offense utilizes the FB in the passing game.

kearly wrote:-I really hope Fells makes our PS and gets some real reps next preseason. He's no youngin' at 27, but physically he is an Anthony McCoy clone, if McCoy were cloned even bigger. A 281 pound TE that can catch and run. Yes please.

As far as our final TE group: Zach Miller obviously put his Pro Bowl stamp on Drive #1. (& Wow! What a difference having him in the starting lineup makes!), and I was pleasantly surprised by both Luke Willson's incremental improvement game after game, and Fells showing in tonights 'more targets/expanded playing time' opportunity.

However, I just don't see any additional ceiling to McGrath whatsoever, and am instead intrigued by both Willson's Joker speed, and Fells Post Up in the Red Zone size. {Thus my previous idea of using 'The Sweeze' as #2 pure lead blocking TE(instead of McGrath) in a pinch...}

Is there any even remote possibility of these 3 unique TE talents (Zach Miller, Luke Willson, & Darren Fells) making the final 53 man roster over the obvious combinations of either: Miller/McGrath/Willson or Miller/Willson/Helfet?

I would love it if they kept Fells. Talents like McGrath and Helfet are available at any time with just a phone call. Rolling with Fells as a 3rd TE is a big risk and that's why it won't happen, but you nailed it on the RZ comment. His height, size, athleticism, and basketball background all scream mismatch creator.

Our defense. Peyton F. Manning was the only QB this preseason who looked truly efficient against our starters (Rivers and Rodgers dinked and dunked with low YPAs and didn't reach the endzone). That Denver game, a game which our team allowed just 283 yards and 10 points while forcing four turnovers- that was our team's worst defensive performance of the preseason.

Oh yeah, and that was without Avril and Clemons. Sure, it's preseason, but even the 2nd string defense has looked pretty nasty. Dan Quinn and our new front seven is going to take us to lofty places this year.

The Radish wrote:I notice so many making a big deal out of winning all pre-season games.

Are we all forgetting that Jim Moron's teams won all their pre-season games enroute to a miserable season?

I don't think anybody is forgetting that, but there's a difference just watching the difference between Jim Mora's 4-0 preseason team and Pete Carroll's, just as there's a difference between Indianapolis' 11-5 season last year and our 11-5 season.

I'm fairly certain Mora's Seahawks weren't both 1st in preseason points scored and points allowed.In fact, Seattle's 36 points allowed is insane, San Francisco, Arizona and Washington are the only 2 other teams that allowed less than 60 points (43 and 57 respectively). Considering we played the league's 2nd and 5th best offenses from 2012, that's impressive...

as for the d-line crushing us.. I think its fair to say we were testing things out, because when we ran the screen we killed it.I think oaklands plan was to attach quick through the line, and ours was to run it up the middle.which didn't work, but when we adjusted it looked good.. we just didn't keep at it.. Probably because we were evaluating talent.

kearly wrote:The one thing I think people should be talking about more:

Our defense. Peyton F. Manning was the only QB this preseason who looked truly efficient against our starters (Rivers and Rodgers dinked and dunked with low YPAs and didn't reach the endzone). That Denver game, a game which our team allowed just 283 yards and 10 points while forcing four turnovers- that was our team's worst defensive performance of the preseason.

Oh yeah, and that was without Avril and Clemons. Sure, it's preseason, but even the 2nd string defense has looked pretty nasty. Dan Quinn and our new front seven is going to take us to lofty places this year.

Irvin wasn't playing that game either, was he? I wonder if his speed would have rushed Manning a couple times when he had forever in the pocket.

gabel wrote:No talk of Lemuel JeanPierre who was looked terrible. I think he makes the team just because we have no other center. I don't know if the offensive line is as deep as the rest of the team.

Coleman sure looked bigger fast etc. then Spencer Ware.

I like Jeron Johnson but he does have physical limitations. But I still cannot see Guy Winston beating out Johnson or Maragos.

I agree Bradford is a beast that delivers pain every time he hits someone. He has to make the team.

Not sure Siliga showed enough to beat out Clinton McDonald who I think got the night off.

IIRC McDonald got the start at DE in the 3-4 with Red at end and Silaga at nose. I thought Silaga looked solid. Playing nose in a 3-4 is never going to get you noticed, but he held the line well, is strong and bullish, and has a unique skill set no one on the team has. I think he makes the squad for now.

Ware played a great game on ST's but as a RB he's lost in the numbers game, and the team obviously prefers Coleman at FB. Coleman is a work in progress as a blocker, but he's on a good to great level as a receiver. He reminds me a lot of Michael Robinson out there.

kearly wrote:-Terrell Pryor finished with a passer rating of 9.9 and finished with fewer yards in the game (2 quarters) than Russell Wilson had in one pass. It was the best 9.9 passer rating performance I have ever seen, and will ever see most likely. Barring a huge regular season breakthrough by Quinton Patton, the 49ers WR corps are not far removed from being a disaster zone right now. Yet they don't even have the worst WR corps in the bay area.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the run game tonight; the Raiders were crashing their backers and safties into the run lanes, that's why the roll out to the TE was working so well. In other news, I live in San Francisco and had to watch the Raider broadcast on TV. What a bunch of morons these guys are, I mean truly stupid human beings. During the broadcast they had their G.M. up for a visit...and he sounds like an idiot as well, night and day when compared to the Seahawk organization.

A perfect game for decision making. A few (Bradford, Kearse and Mayowa in particular) solidified roster spots. And several guaranteed themselves pink slips. But then there were several that complicated things. At 6pm I would have said Winston guy was finished, but he actually brought it in the game. Not sure he makes the team, but he did himself proud last night. Fells had me wanting to see more of him! Not sure why we haven't? The running game never got rolling last night but I just couldn't find a way to keep Ware or Coleman based on what I saw last night. I may need to watch it again though.

Sharkahawkolic wrote:I wouldn't be too concerned about the run game tonight; the Raiders were crashing their backers and safties into the run lanes, that's why the roll out to the TE was working so well. In other news, I live in San Francisco and had to watch the Raider broadcast on TV. What a bunch of morons these guys are, I mean truly stupid human beings. During the broadcast they had their G.M. up for a visit...and he sounds like an idiot as well, night and day when compared to the Seahawk organization.

Their commentators make me want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. I endure them every year just to watch the Seahawks for the last game of preseason.

Aros wrote:Good stuff as usual...My one question: Why the hell did Oakland's DL dominate so much?? Clearly they were focused on the run, but wow!

You answered your own question.

It was obvious that Oakland decided they were going to stack 8-9 in the box and blitz the heck out of us to stop the run. Which is why Bevell started calling a ton of play action midway through the first quarter.

kearly wrote:-Back to the Chargers game again. Holy crap our TE group looked awful back then, and the pre-preseason over-hyped Luke Willson was no exception. Since that time, Willson has taken small steps forward every week and, I'll be damned, he ended up the team leader in receptions by preseason's end. For a guy that had drop issues early on, his hands have looked very solid as of late and he's continuing his ability in college of being a pleasant surprise as a run blocker. Excuse me while I state the obvious: run blocking is kind of a big deal around these parts. So that's nothing to scoff at, especially for a joker TE with 4.51 speed. It's good to know that having him on the field won't telegraph intentions.

The TE position is really the only position I'm worried about this year.

The DE's should start to gain health and get back onto the field by week 2-4 at the latest, that leaves the TE group the thinnest. If Miller goes down or is hobbled by his usual nagging injuries, that leave McGrath as the most experienced TE. Not good for a team that relies heavily on run blocking.

Call me crazy, but I want Fells on the roster. I appreciate McGrath's effort, who up until last night was my pick for the #3 TE, but with Willson showing some really solid development I feel a little safer about taking a risk with this guy. We can hide another TE on the PS.

Totally agree on the S. Williams catch. That was a TD if Wilson hits him in stride. One thing I'm seeing is that Williams is legitimately beating db's, not just winning jump balls at 6'5". On the replay, it looked like he ran a skinny post, released to the inside of the corner, then flared back a bit outside of the safety and just blew right by him. This surprised me as it seems like the Seahawks just keep telling Williams to go deep to see how many times it really will work. It's not a surprised to the opposition at tis point, and he's still getting open by a good margin.

Harper probably lost his roster spot, and I'm hoping he played bad enough to make it through waivers to the PS. He's a really big WR; people comapre him to Boldin but he's actually a LOT bigger. On both of his drops he was wide open; the guy gets separation, but he doesn't seem to know what to do with it. I think at KState he ran a ton of crossing routes, outs, etc. I forget the QBs name, but he didn't have an arm, and it doesn't look like Harper is used to just being able to outrun people. On his one catch, you can see what the coaching staff likes though....he got "lit up" by the Safety. I mean, that safety measured him up and went for the highlight reel, and yet Harper's head barely even snapped back. He's just that solid, and if he can learn our route trees well, and catch the damn ball, he' going to be murder to tackle by Nickle CBs.

I like me some Christine Michael, but I see why Turbin is ahead of him. Turbin has a year of experience in this offense and it shows; he knows what holes to hit, and when to dive into the line and call it a day. He's unspectacular, but incredibly solid. Michael has some Barry Sanders to him. He's explosive, but he dances too much and doesn't always trust his reads, or he's just not seeing them as quickly as Turbin is. Michael is a boom or bust guy; he's either going to lose you a few yards or bust a good one, but it seems to be up and down. I hope to hell we keep Lynch, Turbin and Michael active all 16 games, as I think Christine could be our secret weapon come playoff time.

I think Irvin is going to be damned good at where he's at. He's showing good instincts, and ability to diagnose plays, but his biggest problem still seems to be getting caught up in the wash. That's actually an instinct in itself, and also one of the tougher things to do as a LBer...diagnosing and following the play, while running through the wash of the line without taking your eyes off the ball carrier and still managing to shed blocks. Coverage was so much easier for me. But, I think this is the first time Bruce has actually ever played the position, and he's showing very well for that kind of inexperience. I won't try to call his sack totals, or claim he won't get 8 ever again, but he's going to make some impact plays from that LB spot. This might be the player I'm most excited to see develop this year.

Michael needs to sit on the sidelines this year ; to grow patience and understanding of the schemes. He's an AMAZING talent, but he will lose yardage in the regular season on the occasional play, and that's just not acceptable at this point. No Seahawks RB should lose yardage, at minimum it should always be no gain.

Give Michael a little more time and understanding, and he'll be quite the weapon. In the interim, give him 2-4 touches a game on read-options, shovel sweeps, bubbles, etc. Minimize his naivety to the Seahawks running schemes.

Sillga looks like a big run stuffing body. Can push the pocket effectively as well. May stay Turbin. Yes he looked decent on 3rd down , but his stats from last season in short yardage were not good. I am not sold he stays number 2 all season. Our rookie has to drop some of the jukes and take what the defense gives. OL Person was disappointing and Rishaw did not have a great game. Both I am unsure of at this point. J Johnson made some bad decisions if he gets into a game he has to keep edge containment and twice was out of position. Guy had his best preseason game

MysterMatt wrote:Call me crazy, but I want Fells on the roster. I appreciate McGrath's effort, who up until last night was my pick for the #3 TE, but with Willson showing some really solid development I feel a little safer about taking a risk with this guy. We can hide another TE on the PS.

Yeah, I'd be ok with Fells. I love McGrath, but Fells seems like he's got some untapped potential since he's still learning the game.

Colin Kaepernick wrote:I think our efficiency in the huddle was more of a factor than the crowd.

As far a Wilson goes, I'm not shocked by his preseason play. He has been working with a lot of new and different WR's and TE's this preseason and at this point he's just playing catch with these guys and getting used to their route running and speed. His four MAIN GUYS (Rice, Miller, Baldwin, Tate) haven't played much this preseason and they all should be ready to roll week one. It'll be fun to watch Williams, Wilson (TE) and Kearse get in tune with Wilson over the season, oh and then there's Harvin.

The starting O-line should be good if they all can stay healthy. The backups have talent and some encouraging youth, but I'm a little concerned if anyone but McQuistan has to play much. Lets hope Carpenter can finally play most of the season without any major injuries. I just wonder if the team isn't watching other teams cuts for a veteran G/C backup (I'm not a huge fan of Jeanpierre as the backup center).

I agree 100% with Kearly, our TE's looked average or worse without Miller or McCoy to start the preseason, but these guys got better as camp and preseason wore on. I like all three guys (Wilson, Helfet and McGrath) and it should be interesting to see witch two will be kept with Miller.

It's to bad Irvin will miss the first four weeks. He's looking like he put in the time to be a real force this offseason. His pass rushing and just play making all over the field will be missed the first four weeks. Oh well, this defense is looking like a monster this year with or without some key guys being able to play. Lots of good young depth, cuts are going to be tough.

One last thing I'm interested in is how the RB/FB mess plays out. I think the team only keeps 5 WR's, so 6 RB/FB could be the magic number. I see Lynch, Turbin, Michael, Robinson, Ware (to much upside, no chance he makes it to the PS). At this point it's all about special teams or O-line depth. It's either (FB) Coleman, an extra TE, (WR) Harper or one more O-lineman, who knows.

Last edited by NorCalSeahawk on Fri Aug 30, 2013 9:45 am, edited 2 times in total.

MysterMatt wrote:Call me crazy, but I want Fells on the roster. I appreciate McGrath's effort, who up until last night was my pick for the #3 TE, but with Willson showing some really solid development I feel a little safer about taking a risk with this guy. We can hide another TE on the PS.

I wonder if Fells can grow a beard like McGrath. If he can, I say we go with Fells.

Colin Kaepernick wrote:I think our efficiency in the huddle was more of a factor than the crowd.

Mayowa made a couple mistakes in this game but overall I think he showed enough to make it to the 53, I'd take and develop Brooks, Mayowa, and maybe even Powell or Lotulelei over the likes of Ware, Guy, and Harper, or some other reserve we have carried for a couple seasons.

Hawks46 wrote:Totally agree on the S. Williams catch. That was a TD if Wilson hits him in stride. One thing I'm seeing is that Williams is legitimately beating db's, not just winning jump balls at 6'5". On the replay, it looked like he ran a skinny post, released to the inside of the corner, then flared back a bit outside of the safety and just blew right by him. This surprised me as it seems like the Seahawks just keep telling Williams to go deep to see how many times it really will work. It's not a surprised to the opposition at tis point, and he's still getting open by a good margin.

Harper probably lost his roster spot, and I'm hoping he played bad enough to make it through waivers to the PS. He's a really big WR; people comapre him to Boldin but he's actually a LOT bigger. On both of his drops he was wide open; the guy gets separation, but he doesn't seem to know what to do with it. I think at KState he ran a ton of crossing routes, outs, etc. I forget the QBs name, but he didn't have an arm, and it doesn't look like Harper is used to just being able to outrun people. On his one catch, you can see what the coaching staff likes though....he got "lit up" by the Safety. I mean, that safety measured him up and went for the highlight reel, and yet Harper's head barely even snapped back. He's just that solid, and if he can learn our route trees well, and catch the damn ball, he' going to be murder to tackle by Nickle CBs.

I like me some Christine Michael, but I see why Turbin is ahead of him. Turbin has a year of experience in this offense and it shows; he knows what holes to hit, and when to dive into the line and call it a day. He's unspectacular, but incredibly solid. Michael has some Barry Sanders to him. He's explosive, but he dances too much and doesn't always trust his reads, or he's just not seeing them as quickly as Turbin is. Michael is a boom or bust guy; he's either going to lose you a few yards or bust a good one, but it seems to be up and down. I hope to hell we keep Lynch, Turbin and Michael active all 16 games, as I think Christine could be our secret weapon come playoff time.

I think Irvin is going to be damned good at where he's at. He's showing good instincts, and ability to diagnose plays, but his biggest problem still seems to be getting caught up in the wash. That's actually an instinct in itself, and also one of the tougher things to do as a LBer...diagnosing and following the play, while running through the wash of the line without taking your eyes off the ball carrier and still managing to shed blocks. Coverage was so much easier for me. But, I think this is the first time Bruce has actually ever played the position, and he's showing very well for that kind of inexperience. I won't try to call his sack totals, or claim he won't get 8 ever again, but he's going to make some impact plays from that LB spot. This might be the player I'm most excited to see develop this year.

Good post. My only quibble is the running style comment. I don't think Turbin even makes reads after the handoff, he just executes the assignment every time and often that is not a good thing. Lynch is making reads after the handoff on every carry, it's a major reason he's as good as he is. Michael has the same talent, but it's true the he made some poor cutback decisions in the final preseason game. Overall though, Michael has beaten some poor run blocking situations this preseason, Turbin has not. Turbin is completely at the mercy of his run blocking. I think if they are picking a #2 RB just on running ability, it's Michael getting the job without question. I think they just like the polish Turbin has in other areas.

I'll watch Irvin closely to see how he does, but I thought it was remarkable how well he navigated traffic in the GB game.

pehawk wrote:Michael needs to sit on the sidelines this year ; to grow patience and understanding of the schemes. He's an AMAZING talent, but he will lose yardage in the regular season on the occasional play, and that's just not acceptable at this point. No Seahawks RB should lose yardage, at minimum it should always be no gain.

Give Michael a little more time and understanding, and he'll be quite the weapon. In the interim, give him 2-4 touches a game on read-options, shovel sweeps, bubbles, etc. Minimize his naivety to the Seahawks running schemes.

I like this. Put him in the best possible situations to use his skillset. Get him into space. I do think getting some limited reps behind the number one offensive line will speed his development and understanding.

I'm really happy TE Willson has continued his improvement. Having him as a viable #2 to get 1st downs and block is going to allow us to use our entire playbook. He's a really smooth athlete and as has been mentioned, a willing blocker. He'll need to be spoon fed early, but I'm envisioning a steady progression.

I've been ringing this bell since the GB game, but I think Irvin arrives, BIG TIME, upon his return. By game 5 the line should be back at full health, with crazy versatility and interchangeable parts. And, all Irvin will have to do is standing up along side that potpourri of DL talents, choosing lanes to get to the QB.

Oddly, his role this year would've been better for him last year. Less thinking more "attacking". "Get the QB Bruce, simple". Not too much coaching-up involved there.

Just thinking or typing out loud so to speak, notice we have been using the TE a lot as a FB during pre season, I know that Coleman has been playing as well but when we look at Roster spots aside from Robinson as our starter do we keep more TE's and use one as the back up FB as well as our regular run blocking TE rather then say keep Coleman? This would allow us to have Ware, Michaels,Turin, and Lynch as well.

To Be P/C or Not P/C That is the Question..........Seahawks kick Ass !!!! Check your PM's, Thank you for everything Radish RIP My Friend. Member of the 38 club.

I've been ringing this bell since the GB game, but I think Irvin arrives, BIG TIME, upon his return. By game 5 the line should be back at full health, with crazy versatility and interchangeable parts. And, all Irvin will have to do is standing up along side that potpourri of DL talents, choosing lanes to get to the QB.

Oddly, his role this year would've been better for him last year. Less thinking more "attacking". "Get the QB Bruce, simple". Not too much coaching-up involved there.

I'm damn excited.

I thought he looked a little lost in coverage. The good news was that he diagnosed the plays rather quickly on play-action. He would get right into his backpedal. But he had zero feel for what was going on around him. He simply dropped back and shuffled his feet according to where the QB was looking. All-in-all, it isn't terrible, but more often than not, he was all alone on one side of the field covering nobody. He needs to learn to squeeze the zones and find the nearest receiver if nobody is going to come into his area. It is just about realizing where the players are and building instincts to where they are probably going. The Raiders ran a good number of plays out of the I-formation with twins on the side opposite of the TE. Irvin of course lined up over the TE. On play-action, his first read is the TE. If he passes the TE off inside, he needs to see if there is a back coming into the flat. If there isn't, he needs to squeeze on the TE and look for any crossing routes from the WR's on the opposite side, rather than just standing there and watching the QB.

On running plays, he held up okay at the point of attack, but showed no ability to get off blocks. He definitely has some tools, but he is most certainly a project.

"So between my friends and I we have been at every home game to date this year, and we have all been plotting the offensive plays called. " ------Anthony!